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Letitia Falk

Lab Technitician/Recent MSc Graduate, University of British Columbia

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Why did you go to University/College?

What was/is your drive for pursuing an education? Did you go to an educational institution to A) increase your job prospects or B) to pursue a subject you enjoy?

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    Martin Liu 500+

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    TEDx Organizer
    Oct 18 2011: Go to university/college is to help you find "who you are" and "what do you want to be"
    If you've already found it, then you can leave.

    Why I say this because most of the college students in China(I'm from China) are always following others: to learn what their parents want them to learn, to follow everyone to catch a master degree after graduate, but if you ask them: what do you want to be? You will be disappointed.

    Hope you can understand my saying

    Best

    Martin
    organizor of TEDxUIC
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      Si Xie 10+

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      TED Translator
      Oct 18 2011: Maybe I just that kind of nerd who desire to acess more knowledge and stay in school. In my opinion, Univeristy or college is always a nice choice when you want to have a comfort place to be smart.If we go deeper about the University or College in China, I think this question can be more complicated, and this will narrow down the question..

      University is supposed to be a place help student to be on the road.It is common that most of the college students have no idea what they are going to do what kind of people they wanna be (I am still confused about it), in this time, university can be a place that you can try something that you may interested. Because you can not still depending on your family to live your life, to be into college can be a way that you face the reality and go to work, and university can strengthen your skills in some degree. Like if you want to study finance, well, good university can provide a well-orgainize program and great faculties.

      University have a completely different way in eduaction while comparing Secondary school like High school. But of course, different countries have different situation.

      And university can be like a pre-society, you get to know some extent of the real society, but in a safe place..

      Also, a nice university degree do help you when you finding a job.

      Going to university can be Win-win choice, I think.
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      Letitia Falk 10+

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      Oct 18 2011: Although I think there is less pressure from parents to attend University in North America than in China, still a lot of University students don't know what they want to do for a career when they enter (or even leave) their program. I think you make a good point that University is an extension of earlier education and that a lot of the process is personal development, not learning specific skills. This isn't necissarily a bad thing since most graduates consider University a positive experience regarless of what they do afterwards. I know University has helped me learn what I DON'T want to do for a career at least! :)

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